1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable source of light which can be removably attached to a cover of a book or other object to the illuminated. The invention relates to a source of direct light which can illuminate a small area such as the page of a book and also has the added feature of being portable to enable the user to read a book or other document while reclining in a chair, lying in bed, riding in a vehicle or airplane, or other application where the source of light must be easily portable and where a source of electricity to plug the light in is not readily available.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, portable sources of light are well known in the prior art. A small desk lamp or pin-light desk lamp are commonly used to provide a source of direct light to illuminate a page of a document to facilitate easy reading. These sources all contain the disadvantage of requiring a surface, such as the top of a desk, on which to rest. In addition, most such sources of light require a source of electricity in order to operate, although battery operated models are available. One major disadvantage of such sources of light is the inability to use them when the reader is away from a flat surface on which they can rest.
An improvement on this type of light source wherein the light terminates in a clip which can be attached to the document to be read, such as the binding of book, is also known in the prior art. In this prior art embodiment, the source of light comes from a conventional small light bulb which is affixed to a socket. The assembly also includes a clip at its base which permits the source of light to be attached to the document. Many of the prior art embodiments are run by electrical sources although battery operated models are available. One major disadvantage with all of the known prior art embodiments is that the light will remain on until the user manually shuts it off, either by shutting off the on-off switch or alternatively, by removing the electric plug from the outlet. While this is not a major consideration when the source is used during the day, it becomes a significant problem when the reader is using the source of light to illuminate a book he or she is reading while in bed just prior to going to sleep. Many times, a reader will fall asleep while reading the book. Should this occur and the light source remain on, the hot light bulb resting against the user's blanket, sheet or mattress over several hours could ignite the material and cause a fire. It is therefore important that the bulb be shielded from coming in contact with anything such as the mattress, sheet or blanket, and further that the light be automatically turned off by a simple physical process which is likely to occur if the light source comes in contact with anything. These additions, which are not present in embodiments known in the prior art, would make the portable book light much safer to use in applications such as reading in bed.
At present, there is no known apparatus which provides a portable source of light wherein the light bulb is completely shielded, the source of light is portable, and the source of light can be automatically turned off by a simple manual manipulation when the source comes in contact with another surface.